1 The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has awarded Premium Pacific Pte Ltd the former Changi General Hospital site(OCGH), a 70-year-old State building at Blk 24, 37 & 161 Halton Road. The tenancy is for an initial term of 3 years and is renewable up to 2016.

2 SLA received two bids which are $25,919 and $33,388 per month. The Premium Pacific Pte Ltd impressed SLA with their plan for a proposed Spa & Resort Development. Premium Pacific Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Bestway Properties Pte Ltd, intends to retain the Changi rustic charm and preserve the tranquillity and characteristic of the buildings. They will restore two of the three blocks and their architectural structures, under conservation guidelines. The new development is expected to be operational in the first half of 2008.

3 The 7,638 square-metre property, on a total site area of 12,427 square metres will house integrated uses ranging from lifestyle to hospitality such as resort, spa and restaurants with strong flavours of time-treasured scenic and laid-back ambience, drawing old and new crowds.

4 SLA Land Operations Division Director, Mr Simon Ong said, "There is plenty of opportunity for our tenant to develop the building in this vicinity, which is now more accessible and interconnected through the recent infrastructural improvements such as the 1.2 km western boardwalk stretching from Changi Beach Club to Changi Sailing Club and a newly completed 1.4 km eastern coastal walkway. With some creativity and enterprising spirit, it can help transform the former hospital site to complement the overall vision for Changi Point as a coastal recreation village. In the pipeline, SLA will make available more former institutional buildings for adaptive uses to meet economic and social benefits."

5 Mr Anthony Tan, Director of Bestway Properties Pte Ltd said, "We appreciate heritage buildings and saw the potential to develop the former Changi General Hospital site as a getaway for those who are looking for a place to relax and pamper themselves. Besides targeting the locals, we also intend to target the foreign budget traveller who may prefer to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, and instead retreat into the laidback tranquillity of a holiday resort for a weekend getaway, just ten minutes away from Changi Airport. This suburban concept and locality has proved to be popular and is replicated in many parts of the world."

6 Apart from the former Changi General Hospital site, other State properties under the conservation list and converted to other adaptive uses are, 25 Gilstead Road which is currently tenanted to Gracefields Kindergarten Pte Ltd, and the former Command House at 17 Kheam Hock which is tenanted to UBS Wealth Management School. There are strict guidelines for conserved buildings. Under current rules, the facade and major structures of conserved buildings cannot be altered but internal spaces may be reconfigured for new uses.

7 In addition to former Changi General Hospital site, SLA has also put up another State property for a public tender. Lorong Bekukong, formerly a Seafood Restaurant, is opened for a public tender on Friday, 26 January. It is a wooden kampong style structure raised on masonry footings, located next to the Changi Point Ferry Terminal. The allowable uses are restaurants and shops. The tenure is up to a maximum of nine years, based on a three-year renewable tenancy. More details on the 312 square-metre property, on a total site area of 1,162 square metres public tender are on http://www.gebiz.gov.sg/ and via SLA's one-stop property portal.

Issued by:
Singapore Land Authority
2 February 2007

Annex A - Artist Impression of Spa and Resort Development(1)
Annex B - Artist Impression of Spa and Resort Development(2)

Background of Former Changi General Hospital

The property at Blk 24, 161, 37 Halton Road, which is the former Changi Hospital, was returned to SLA in 1998. SLA and URA have been studying the appropriate uses for the property that would complement the rustic character and tie in with the overall planning vision for Changi Point, before putting up the property for tender. In the meantime, the SLA has put it to interim uses in an effort to maximise Singapore's land resources, the most popular of which is as a filming location. Some of the popular local shows that have shot on location at the former CGH were the locally-produced English drama series, "Growing Up" (at the SAF Medical Ward), Chinese drama "Crime Hunters" (headquarters of former CGH), and TV series with supernatural themes like "Incredible Tales". In addition, many theatrical productions had been staged on location by various educational institutions. The productions were used as the students' final year projects and some were put on national broadcast.

About SLA

Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is a statutory board with the Ministry of Law. Its mission is to optimise land resources for the economic and social development of Singapore. SLA is responsible for the direct management of some 14,000 hectares of State land and about 5,000 buildings. It is also in charge of land sales, leases, acquisitions and allocation, developing and marketing land-related information, and maintaining the national land information database through digitised land information services. SLA is also the national land registration authority for property transactions, and the issuance and guarantee of land titles in Singapore. It also manages and maintains the national land survey system, including the defining of boundaries or legal limits of properties based on a coordinated cadastre survey system. For more details, visit www.sla.gov.sg.